When you think of Procter & Gamble, chances are that Brian Hodgett is not the first name that comes to mind.

The anonymity is not likely to last.

Hodgett is increasingly cutting a public profile with advisory or director roles at organizations including Cintrifuse, Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC) and the Cincinnati USA Partnership for Economic Development.

He’s P&G’s key link to the Cincinnati Business Committee and a board member of the Cincinnati Regional Business Committee. Both groups comprise top regional executives and focus on economic development, education and government affairs.

Hodgett’s opinion carries weight in top business circles, but this isn’t where he envisioned himself as a college and graduate student. Politics was the Cleveland native’s first passion, which led to a lobbying career that included a stint at the Grocery Manufacturers Association before P&G called in 1997 with an offer.

Today, he’s state government and community relations chief with the consumer products giant – guided by the same leadership philosophy that’s carried him this far: Build lasting relationships by providing straightforward, accurate information.

“You’re only as good as your information. And the minute you supply bad information, you’re done,” he said. “The people that I know and that are successful are honest, are straightforward. All you have is your word.”

Hodgett is adviser for regional initiative

At Procter & Gamble, Hodgett manages political relationships across the country at the governor and statehouse level. He also represents P&G locally for a variety of organizations, including two initiatives business leaders view as critical to the region’s future.

He’s on the board of the Cincinnati USA Partnership, the economic development arm of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. The partnership receives millions of dollars from state and local governments and regional companies including P&G.

According to JobsOhio’s third quarter report, the partnership ranked third and fourth in jobs created and capital investment commitments, respectively, out of six statewide organizations. Hodgett expects the partnership, which recently appointed Matt Davis as interim director, to rank among the top two.

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“We’re not there right now, but I think Matt Davis will do a great job in that role, and as he gets ramped up we’ll be able to turn it around and get there,” Hodgett said.

Hodgett also is an adviser for Cintrifuse, the regional initiative to support high-potential startups with capital, access to mentors and working space. P&G is a significant investor in Cintrifuse’s fund, which is designed to increase the amount of early-stage venture capital in the region. Hodgett is part of a working group that meets regularly with Cintrifuse CEO Jeff Weedman to review progress.

“If Cintrifuse is thriving, Cincinnati should be viewed by the venture capital community as somewhere that they want to invest money,” he said. “And if you’re a kid coming out of college and you want to getinto the startup world, you have every right to think you could stay right here in Cincinnati.”

Lesson No. 1 for business: Relationships built on trust

Hodgett sums up his biggest business lesson with a phrase borrowed from a P&G alum: When building relationships, the 411 must come before the 911.

It’s common sense but still a valuable insight. Relationships built on trustworthy information are essential to survive the emergency when it strikes. Or: If you don’t put in the work on the front end to be credible, chances are slim you’ll get help with an urgent problem or request.

“You have to know the people. The first time people see me is not when something blows up,” Hodgett said.

The skill has served Hodgett well. At the Grocery Manufacturers Association, Hodgett was the link between merchants and various legislatures. Sometimes he was meeting with lawmakers to tell them how a pending bill might affect 50,000 of their constituents. Other times, lawmakers were contacting him for ideas on how pending legislation would affect the grocery manufacturers group.

Contrary to the TV depiction of lobbyists, spinning and telling people what they want to hear isn’t a viable long-term strategy for results, Hodgett said. And that’s regardless of whether you’re talking to a politician or your client.

“It’s all relationships and honesty. There’s a bill introduced, and, if public opinion is trending a certain way on this issue, you just have to be honest and say, ‘We may need to do something different than trying to defeat this bill, because we’re likely to lose it,’ ” he said.

Whether they’re members of the grocery manufacturers group or employees at P&G, people “are very receptive if you just tell them the truth, that this is what we’re facing,” he said. “It’s a lot better than leading them on, which doesn’t help anybody.” ■